Title of Lesson: I have a Dream
Grade level 4th grade
Goal of lesson: Students will be able to interpret the “I Have A Dream” speech and be able to
know what Martin Luther King Jr. was fighting for
Objective for this lesson: Students will answer the questions for today’s discussion when
watching the, I Have A Dream speech. Also, students will interpret the selected text of the
speech in their own words.
Materials needed:
Paper
Pen
Computer/ projector
Video of the speech
I Have A Dream Speech on paper highlighted
Starburst
Time needed: 60 minutes
Procedure:
1. I will tell students we will be watching Martin Luther King Jr. speech
2. As we watch Martin Luther King Jr. speech I want you to focus on a few questions,
 What did you notice as you watched the speech? (Audience, location, reactions
from the crowed, etc.)
 What was the tone of his speech?
 What emotions did you detect in the speaker’s voice?
 What message was the speaker trying to convey?
 Explain how you were feeling as you listened to Martin Luther King’s speech.
 What do you wonder after hearing the speech?
Connect: One way I will activate my students knowledge is by passing out starbursts to students.
Students who receive the red color starburst will receive an extra starburst. Students will then see
that only a selected few are getting an additional starburst and will feel a particular way. I will
ask the student who received and extra starburst how does it feel having an extra one? Whereas, I
will ask the other students how do they feel not getting an extra one? Why do you think you
didn’t get an extra one? Students will piece together mistreatment that is occurring.
Organize: One active strategy I can use with this lesson plan and students is paragraph
shrinking. Students will have to identify the who and what, tell me the most important thing
about the who or what (depending on what section of the speech the student gets), and after tell
me the main idea in 10 words or less. Being that each section in the speech targets something
different students “what” will all be different and will have to explain the what for other to
understand.
Reflect:
What was the purpose of the speech?
Why was the purpose so important to Martin Luther King Jr. and others?
Extend: Creating a My Dream craft …
My dream for my family is …
My dream for my community is…
My dream for my school is …
My dream for the world is …
My dream for my future is…
Assess: In small groups students will have to write a paragraph based on the specific section I
gave them on the “I have a dream” speech. Students will write a paragraph explain the following
two ideas:
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Determine what the hidden message of this part of the speech
Summarize how your group felt about this paragraph or paragraphs
Title of Lesson: Civil Rights Movement
Grade level 4th grade
Goal of lesson: Students will be able to choose a project of their own and communicate the role
the individual they chose had in the civil rights movement
Objective for this lesson: Students will learn more about the specific person involved in the
civil rights movement or event.
Materials needed:
Book: Black Stars of the Civil Rights Movement by Jim Haskins
Paper
Pen
Handout with examples of people to choose
Types of projects to choose from, for example: important people and important event (see
handout below with questions in the reflect section)
Time needed: 60 minutes
Procedure:
Connect: The way students will activate their prior knowledge based on the topic is by referring
back to the text set we read titled, Black Stars of the Civil Rights Movement by Jim Haskins. As a
class we read this book and learned different people who were involve in the civil rights
movement. This book expresses the many changes that came about as a result of actions
by people who are reported in this book, including some whose names are familiar in the civil
rights history and others who are not usually associated with the struggle for equal rights.
Organize:
Reflect: Students are required to answer the following questions in regards to the important
person they are focusing on
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Biographical information (when were they born, where did they go to school, who did
they marry, who were their kids, when/how did they die)
Role/roles in the Civil Rights Movement
What happened to this person during the Civil Right Movement
Why is this person important
Obstacle faced by this person
Quotes you like
Questions in regards to the Important event
 Background information—when and where did this event occur? Why did the event take
place? who participated in the event?
 What happened during the event
 Why is this event important
Extend: How will you have student apply what was learned in a new, authentic way?
A way students can apply and share their new knowledge on the important event is by creating
an interview with a person who participated in the event or have students write a newspaper
article about the event
Assess: Observing students project/ presentation will demonstrate to me the students
understanding of the material.